The field of the invention relates generally to airplane cockpit instrument panel configurations and, more particularly, to an up-front control panel for controlling an out-of-reach large area display.
At least some known aircraft include large displays to provide a pilot with menus, data and graphical options to facilitate increased pilot performance and aircraft safety. These large displays are commonly referred to in the aerospace industry as Multi-Functional Displays (MFDs). Some known MFDs are programmable and/or customizable and may be used by the pilot as the primary instrument or display for use in flying the aircraft. Such displays are commonly referred to as the Primary Flight Displays (PFDs). MFDs and PFDs typically include push buttons located on and around the bezel of the display that may be used to select different menus and graphical presentations of information on the displays.
In at least some known military aircraft that include an ejection seat, one large touchscreen display is installed rather than multiple smaller displays. However, generally, the taller the display, the further away the display must be positioned relative to the pilot to ensure the display remains outside of the ejection envelope. Anthropometric requirements for new aircraft have been expanded over recent years to enable smaller or shorter pilots to fly such aircraft. However, such pilots may not be able to reach the displays while in their harness, which may limit the ability to use touchscreen technology in the aircraft. Thus, there is a need for a system that enables smaller or shorter pilots with shorter limbs to control the information displayed on larger displays.